Fantasy film ‘Wonka’ created by Korean cinematographer Jeong Jung-hoon

Director of photography Jung Jung-hoon on the movie Wonka. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Who doesn't love sweet chocolate? The film "Wonka," which hit local theaters on January 31, disarms viewers with its chocolate-like charm and takes them into a fantasy world. Based on Roald Dahl's fairy tale, the prequel of the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which was released in 2005, depicts the young days of Willy Wonka, the owner of a chocolate factory and a genius chocolatier.

A scene from the movie Wonka. Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Top movie star Timothée Chalamet created a very different Wonka, which was played by Johnny Depp in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The movie is doing well at global box offices with a stellar ensemble cast, including Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, and Sally Hopkins, great music, and a heartwarming story.

What's remarkable is that the film, which fascinated the world, was created by Korean cinematographer Jeong Jung-hoon (54). The first Korean cinematographer to actively work in Hollywood talked about the film in a video interview on January 23.

Jung said he worked hard to make viewers "believe" the story of the film. It is important to him that a film does not lose its sense of reality, even if it is a fantasy film. Jeong said, "In some movies, the cinematography or lighting is too flashy and distracts viewers from immersing in the story. “Wonka” didn't just have to be beautiful, it had to be warm. I tried my best to make viewers think the film is not artificial by using various colors and effects appropriately so that they can go well with the story."

As a result, there are many scenes in Wonka that were created using wire action rather than visual special effects (VFX). One example is the scene where the guests eat Wonka's chocolate and float into the air. It looks like a scene created with VFX technique, but actors filmed the scene on wires. Jeong said, "It's a scene that could have been done with a device in front of a blue screen, but we did it the old-fashioned way with wires, and it was definitely different. I was very satisfied with such things.”

Jeong worked with Timothée Chalamet on the film. He is one of the hottest actors in the world and an actor that famous filmmakers around the world want to work with. "He's not mechanical, he tries various things," he said. "Timothée has a beguiling charm coming from thousands of facial expressions depending on the angle of his face. I was lucky because he is an easy-going and hard-working actor on the set. I got to know that he became a top star not only because he is handsome but also is a hard-working man.”

In October of last year, Jeong became a full member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). It was a first for a Korean-born cinematographer. He achieved it after 10 years working in Hollywood.

"I can't believe it's been 10 years," he said. "I came to the U.S. without any plans after finishing shooting the film “New World,” and I thought, 'I'll try my best for three years and if it doesn't work, I'll go back to Korea.’ And there have been a lot of changes in the meantime. As I became an ASC member, I felt like I was recognized as an equal cinematographer, not a stranger. However, nothing has changed much. I will work harder to make more changes over the next 10 years."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.